Stoker



V. F. CLARK July 11, 1939.

STOKER Filed June 18. 1938 3 SheetsSheet 1 V. F. CLARK July 11, 1939.

STOKER Filed June 18, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 all OM01 [/27705/5 64454,

Patented July 11, 1939 UNITED STATES STOKER Verdrie F. Clark, New

Albany, Ind., assignor to Peerless Manufacturing Corporation, Louisville, Ky.

Application June 18,

1 Claim.

, This invention relates to stokers and more particularly to an improved stoker construction whereby the connections between the hopper and the retort are such that there will not be any misalignment between the hopper and the retort in order that the rotary conveyor in the form of a screw will freely operate in the tubular connection between these parts.

An object of this invention is to provide in a stoker structure an improved conveyor housing which is so constructed that substantially the full length of the conveyor will be disposed in the housing, the conveyor housing being provided within the hopper with an intake portion which is cut out from the housing so as to permit the coal or other fuel to enter the conveyor housing and be moved therealong by rotation of the screw conveyor.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved conveyor housing connecting the retort with the hopper structure so as to provide means whereby the retort and the hopper will be held in permanent alignment in order that the conveyor disposed in the conveyor housing will freely operate at all times.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved conveyor housing which connects the retort and the hopper, the housing being removably secured in the retort and the hopper in order that the housing may be easily removed for replacement or other purposes.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a hopper structure which engages over a trough secured to the conveyor housing with the hopper enclosing the trough forming the bottom of the hopper and secured to the trough in a manner to prevent gases from entering the room in which the stoker is positioned.

with the foregoing objects and others which may hereinafter appear, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but it will be understood that changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed. 1

In the drawings: 7

Figure 1 is a detail top plan of a stoker structure constructed according to an embodiment of this invention,

Figure 2 is a detail side elevation partly broken away and in section of the device,

1938, Serial No. 214,552

Figure 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal section of the device,

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 3,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary end elevation of the hopper structureshowing the inner end of the conveyor and the means for connecting the conveyor to the reduction gearing,

Figure 'l is a fragmentary sectional view showing the coupling between the reduction gearing and the adjacent or inner end of the conveyor,

Figure 8 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view through the lower portion of the hopper,

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the hopper bottom,

Figure 10 is a detail side elevation of the conveyor housing, and

Figure 11 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal section of the upper portion of the hopper showing the hopper closure and the means for sealing the closure on the hopper.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral I0 designates generally a hopper structure and the numeral ll designates a retort which is adapted to be positioned interiorly of a furnace and the retort H is connected to the hopper [0 by means of a conveyor housing l2 and an air duct l3. The hopper It! comprises a housing I4 provided at its upper side with an intake opening 15 which is defined by an upstanding bead or rim I6. A closure plate l1 having a marginal turned down portion l8 engages about the upstanding bead l6 and a gasket I9 is interposed between the plate I! and the bead I6 so as to tightly seal the closure I! on the housing l4. One end of the closure l'l may be hingedly secured to the housing I4 by hinge members adapted to engage beneath the closure I I and the opposite end of the closure I1 is provided with a lockingbolt 2| which is secured to a handle 22 by means of a pivotal member 23. i

A trough or hopper bottom member is disposed in the housing I-4 and comprises a pair of downwardly inclined walls 24 and 25which have their lower or convergent edges thereof spaced apart and connected by means of an arcuate channel member 26. The upper-or divergent edges of the bottom wall members 24 and 25 are provided with upstanding flanges 21 and 28 respectively. An

inner wall 29 is secured to the inner ends of the wall members 24 and 25 and to the flanges 21 and 28 and is substantially rectangular in front elevation and an outer orforward wall 30 is secured to the opposite ends of the wall members 28 and 26. The inner wall 28 is provided at its upper end with a rearwardly extending flange 29 and the outer wall 38 is provided at its upper end with an inwardly extending flange 38. The inner wall 29 is provided with a bottom flange 3i and the outer or forward wall 38 is provided with a bottom flange 32 extending in the direction of the flange M. The wall member 29 is provided in substantially the center thereof with a round opening 33 and the wall member 38 is provided with an opening 34 which is arcuate at its lower portion and substantially rectangular at its upper portion.

The conveyor housing i2 comprises an elongated tube 31 which is provided with a cut-out portion 38 constituting an intake opening adjacent the inner end thereof which is adapted to be disposed in the arcuate portion 26 of the hopper trough or bottom hereinbefore described. The longitudinal edges 38 of the cutout portion 38 are adapted to be disposed substantially co-' conveyor 48. -The tubular member 31 is adapted to be secured to the hopper structure l4, the inner end thereof engaging in a bushing 4| having a flange 42 which is secured as by bolts 43 to'the inner or rear wall 29 of the hopper trough.

A clean-out housing 44 having a flange 45 at one end thereof is secured to the forward wall 38 of the hopper trough as by bolts 46 and this cleanout housing 44 is disposed about the conveyor housing l2 at a point adjacent the forward end of the intake opening 38. The housing 44 is provided with an opening 41 at its upper side about which a closure plate 48 of arcuate construction engages. A gasket 49 is interposed between the closure 48 and the marginal portions of the opening 41 so as to seal the plate 48 on the housing 44. A closure holding bar 58 is disposed on the upper side of the closure 48 extending entirely thereacross and the rear end of the bar 58 engages ln a slot 5| provided in the flange 45 and the forward end of the bar 58 has a bolt 52 engaging therethrough. The bolt 52 has the head 53 thereof secured in the upper portion of the housing 44 and a wing nut 54 is threaded onto the bolt 53 and provides a means for tightly pressing the bar 58 against the closure 48 so as to prevent the escape of gases through the opening 41.

The retort structure U comprises a plenum chamber 55 engaging about the forward end of the conveyor housing l2, and this plenum chamber communicates with a tuyere structure 56.

The tuyre structure 56 is provided with a plurality of air openings 51 communicating with the plenum chamber 55 so that the air from this chamber 55 will enter the tuyere or retort structure. The tuyere structure includes a throat or fuel outlet member 58 having a sleeve 59 engaging about the forward end of the conveyor housing l2. The throat member 58 is provided with a supporting leg 68 engaging the bottom wall 8| of the plenum chamber 55.

The plenum chamber 55 has a rear wall 62 and the air duct i3 is connected at one end to the rear wall 82 at one side of the housing l2. The rear wall 62 is provided with a closure plate 62 which closes an opening at the opposite side from the duct l3 so that the duct l3 can be positioned on either side of the housing H. The air duct aioaoio I3 extends below the hopper bottom structure comprising the bottom walls 28 and 25 and the end walls 28 and 38. The rear end of the air duct i3 is connected to the outlet side of a fan structure 63 which is positioned in a chamber 68 provided at the rear of the hopper or housing structure M. The fan 63 is operated by means of a motor 65 adapted to be connected to' a suitable source of current supply. The walls of the chamber 64 are provided with louvers 66. so that air may freely enter the housing or chamber 64 and be forced through the air duct [13 into the retort ii. A reduction gearing generally designated as 61 is disposed in the chamber 64 and is operatively connected to the motor 65 by means of a driving connection 68 in the form of a flexible belt or the like. The construction of this reduction gearing 61 ls'.well known and comprises the usual gear means whereby the number of revolutions of the motor 65 may be reduced sufficiently to provide a relatively slow turning of the conveyor 48. The reduction gearing 61 is provided with a connector or coupling part 69 engaging in the inner end 18 of the conveyor 48.

The clean-out opening 34 in the forward wall 38 of the trough registers with an opening 35 provided in the flange 5| of the clean-out housing 44 so that any pieces of coal which might stop the conveyor 48 may be dislodged. The rear wall 36 of the housing I4 is provided with an inwardly extending flange 1| which rests on the flange 29 and a gasket 12 is interposed between the flanges 29 and 1|. The flanges 29 and 1| are secured together as by headed fastening members 13.

The forward wall 11 of the housing I4 is secured to the forward side of the wall 38 by fastening members 18 and a gasket 19 is interposed between the walls 38 and 11. The side walls of the housing. |4 project down below the side The bushing 4| is provided with a flange 88 confronting the gearing 61 and this flange 88 is secured to the gearing 61 by means of bolts 8| or the like.

The rear wall 29 of the trough member is provided with a pair of openings 82, one on each side of the opening 33 and the air duct l3 passes through a selected one of these openings 82. The

forward wall 38 of the trough is also provided. with a pair of duct openings 83 and the duct l3 engages through a selected one of these openings so that the air duct l3 may be positioned on either side of the opening 33. A covering or plate 84 may be bolted over the opening 83 in the wall 38 which is not used whereas the opening 82 in the wall 29 which isv not used may be left open so that air from the louvers 16 may pass therethrough into the chamber 64.

The motor 65 is secured toa plate 85 which is supported on a plurality of upstanding studs 83 the hopper housing H by removing the closure 7 l1, and when the motor 65 is operating, the conveyor 40 will force the fuel forwardly through the conveyor housing l2 into the retort l I. Coincident with the rotation of the conveyor [4, the fan or blower 63 will be operated so as to force air through the air duct [3 intothe plenum or air chamber 55. In the event any coal particles clog the outlet opening of the hopper H, such clogging particles may be released by opening the clean-out closure member 48. I

Through the provision of a continuous conveyor housing extending from the inner or rear wall of the hopper M to a point within the retort I l, the retort H will not at any time become out of line with the conveyor so that during the continued use of this stoker the conveyor will at all times freely operate in the conveyor. housing, and in the event there is any shifting of the foundation for either the hopper structure or. the retort,

such shifting of the foundation will not effect a provided for the removal of ashes and insert the retort i I through this dooropening, while at the same time closing the remaining portion of the opening with a suitable plate or the like.

What I claim is: a

In a stoker, a hopper, a flange at the lower end of the hopper, a V-shaped bottom member, a pair of end walls secured to said member, flanges carried by the upper ends of said end walls, means detachably securing the hopper flange to said end wall flanges, an arcuate' seat at the convergent lower end of said bottom member, a tubular conveyor housing resting on said seat. and projecting from one end wall through and beyond the other end wall, a conveyor in said housing, said housing having'an intake opening in the upper side thereof, said opening terminating beyond said other end wall, a clean-out housing about said conveyor housing and that portion of said intake opening projecting beyond said other end wall, a closure for said clean-out housing, said cleanout housing having an upstanding flange confronting said other end wall, a downwardly facing shoulder carried by said upstanding flange, a closure holding bar engaging at one end against said shoulder, and means engaging the opposite end of said bar and said clean-out housing for securing said closure on said clean-out housing.

VERDRIE F. CLARK. 

